Date/Time
Date(s) - 01/22/2016 - 01/24/2016
8:00 PM - 2:00 AM
Location
The Regency Ballroom
Category(ies)
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Event Themes
- Friday, January 22: World’s Faire
- Saturday, January 23: Edwardian Ball—Edward Gorey’s “The Stupid Joke”
The Edwardian Ball
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What, pray tell, is The Edwardian Ball?
Puzzling to explain, nigh impossible to describe, but absolutely delightful to experience, The Edwardian Ball is an elegant and whimsical celebration of art, music, theatre, fashion, technology, circus, and the beloved creations of the late, great author and illustrator Edward Gorey. Set in an imagined “Edwardian Era”, this multi-city, multi-media extravaganza has grown over the past fifteen years from an underground club party into an internationally recognized festival of the arts, now operating with the blessing of The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.
Costumed and enthusiastic attendees, now traveling from across the nation and from all corners of the globe, flock to this West Coast celebration for a delightful blend of ballroom dancing, live music, riveting stage shows, DJs and dancing, fine art installations, an award-winning vendor bazaar, mystical and nonsensical oddities, absinthe cocktails, steam machinery, parlour games, alluring sideshows, and much more. All ages are welcome and appropriate in this darkly humorous and elegant setting, where literary aficionados rub elbows with chimney sweeps, where the sensual meets the bizarre, where historically-accurate Edwardian recreationists waltz through the steam-powered tea garden… where the only guiding rule is that you join in on the fun!
The Edwardian Ball has been called “the quintessential must-never-miss event of the year,” “a defining annual San Francisco tradition,” and “a literary circus of the highest caliber” for so many compelling reasons… come experience for yourself!
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Friday vs. Saturday in SF, or, What’s the difference?
One of the most commonly asked questions is “What’s the difference between your Friday and Saturday night events?” This is often followed often by, “Which night should I go?” Sometimes even, “Which night is better?” The simple answer is that they are both uniquely crafted, awe-inspiring nights of creativity, art, and whimsical elegance, and that there is just no way for us to recommend one over the other. Otherwise we would just do the same night twice!
To fully immerse yourself in the world of The Edwardian Ball you should consider attending both nights! But to explain a bit further, here’s a bit more on Friday’s World’s Faire and Saturday’s Ball. Any further questions are most certainly welcome at queries@edwardianball.com.
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Friday Night, San Francisco – World Faire
The first night of back-to-back events at the beautiful Regency Ballroom, The Edwardian World’s Faire presents a Gorey-inspired night of interactive art, steam-powered machinery, Barbary Coast-inspired Midway Gaming, pedal-powered carnival rides, theatrical stage shows, circus performances, free-wheelin fashion, and Edwardian-tinged rock n’ roll. A little more rambunctious than the Saturday night Ball, The Faire presents an interactive night of playful art and elegant exploration.
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Friday, January 22: “The Edwardian World’s Faire”
Our two-night celebration unfolds with the renowned Edwardian World’s Faire. Historic and novel characters intermingle; true-life adventures blend with fantastical lands; live the excitement of the age of exploration, reimagined through the lens of today and beyond. Get lost in our delightful Gaming Garden, where characters, tricks, and games of chance weave a backdrop to steam-powered creations and chance encounters. Revel in a modern day Belle Époque where cultures meet, blend, dance, and collide. A worldly adventure ahead of Saturday night’s Ball, our World’s Faire presents a once-in-this-lifetime adventure!
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Saturday Night, San Francisco – The Edwardian Ball
This is the night of the world-renowned Edwardian Ball, a whimsical, elegant night of art, music, ballroom dance, theatre, fashion, circus, and the art and stories of beloved author Edward Gorey. Friday night’s rides, games, and carnival stylings are cleared to make way for a uniquely immersive world, where the turn of the century meets the world-to-be in a fantastic blend of performance and audience, of sights, sounds, and magic. Each year, in the depths of the night, Edwardian Ball founders Rosin Coven & co-hosts Vau de Vire Society bring a featured Gorey story to life onstage with original music, choreography, narration, circus acts, this year presenting one of his delightfully dark masterpieces, Gorey’s “The Stupid Joke”
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Both nights…
Peruse the haunted grounds of the 1909 Masonic ballroom… visit our famous Vendor Bazaar, capture a moment of history in our Portrait Booth, sip a locally-distilled absinthe cocktail, and dance the night away. Lose yourself in our Museum of Wonders located in the opulent Regency Lodge, our “Edwardian Odditorium” full of curiosities, natural wonders, sideshow performances, fortune telling, tarot reading, and who knows what surprises…
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About The Edwardian Era
The Edwardian period or Edwardian era in the United Kingdom is the period 1901 to 1910, the reign of King Edward VII. It succeeded the Victorian period and is sometimes extended to include the period up to the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, the start of World War I in 1914, or even the end of the war in 1918. Perhaps because of the King’s fondness for travel, the period was marked by an enthusiasm for the art and fashions of continental Europe.